Initiating Conversation
by TehKusoGaki
Summary: Riku still struggles to strike up conversations with his dad, but he has something very important to ask. *New Chapter! Epilogue: In which Shuichi comes home and is elated to find out that Eiri is trying to do good at this whole parenting thing. Also, we see Mike's and Riku's classmates' reactions. -complete-
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

A short story I wrote for the adorable Gravitation spinoff series, Shindou Family Circumstances. Some things may not make complete sense if you haven't read that series (which you totally should), so to put it into perspective (spoilers for Ex, and a bit for SFC):

Shuichi and Eiri have adopted Riku.

Riku is in high school at this point.

Riku still calls Shuichi 'Mom.'

Riku and Mike (K's son) are best friends.

Eiri frequently travels, and is often away from home.

Because of this, Riku is awkward around him and has a hard time communicating with him.

* * *

Riku stood uneasily in the kitchen entryway, ready to retreat back the way he came. He grappled with his nerves to finally find a smidgen of resolve. Only to have it immediately vanish, like a puff of smoke in the wind.

He couldn't do it!

Why was it so difficult to talk to that man?

He slunk away, and was betrayed by the creaking of the floorboards beneath him.

"Riku?" His dad turned to face him, his attention pulled from the meal he'd been preparing. "Finished up with your homework already?"

Riku studied his father for a moment. He was relieved his dad had finally shaved off that awful beard, but wondered if he still wouldn't be teased if his classmates saw the man now in all his glory: cute apron, thick glasses, and headband adorning him like a lopsided crown.

…Well, he was also brandishing a large knife, so maybe not.

"Uh, yeah…" Riku shrugged and ran his hand through his hair, resting it on the back of his neck, and pretended to be nonchalant before letting it drop back to his side and wishing there was an inconspicuous way to run back to his room and barricade the door.

"How about you wash up and help me then?" That Man asked, though to Riku it felt like a command. "It's just us tonight."

Dammit! Riku was trapped. He blamed his Japanese upbringing: he was too polite to decline.

"What about Mom?" Riku asked while scrubbing his hands in the sink.

"Ayaka's letting your Uncle Hiro out of the house for the first time in ages– I guess the twins are finally manageable– he and Shuichi are having a boy's night out."

"Oh."

It had been a long time since Mom had spent any time with his oldest friend, so Riku didn't want to resent him taking the opportunity, but it was going to be so awkward eating dinner alone with Dad!

"Where should I begin?" Riku asked, drying his hands on a kitchen towel.

"Get the rice started. By the time it's done, everything else should be ready to eat."

"Okay." It was a simple task that was quickly completed. "Now what?"

"Finish cutting up these vegetables, I'll start grilling the meat."

It was weirdly familiar, this scene.

…No, maybe not so weird. Riku could remember helping his dad in the kitchen when he was younger– before his dad had developed his wanderlust.

It was kind of fun then.

"Watch your fingers," his father warned.

"I know," Riku said as the sound of rhythmic chopping filled the room. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Sorry," his dad chuckled, "force of habit. Your mom's not exactly a child either, but I'm still constantly restocking the first aid kit."

Chop.

Sizzle.

Chop.

Awkward silence filled the room save for the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board and the meat frying in the pan.

"So… what are Mom and Uncle Hiro doing tonight?" Riku asked in vain attempt to shoo away the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Probably getting blitzed off cheap beer, and singing karaoke. Those done?"

Riku's father pointed to the veggies he'd been dicing.

"Uh, yeah," Riku replied.

"Go ahead and add them to the pan. Slowly."

Riku carefully pushed the fresh cut vegetables off the edge of the cutting board and into the skillet with his knife while his dad stirred them in with the meat and sauce.

As soon as Riku pulled the empty board out of the way, his father flicked the pan up, tossing its contents into the air and catching them with the flourish of a much practiced skill, coating everything evenly with seasoning. He then mixed everything together and and adjusted the cooktop's heat settings.

"Just a simple stir fry dish tonight. I didn't feel like making something fancy."

"T-that's okay," Riku said. It certainly smelled good! And Riku had never known his dad to cook anything that wasn't delicious. His dad could make any 'simple dish' amazing.

Riku watched his father, trying to work up the courage to ask him what he originally came into the kitchen for.

"Go set the table." Dad said suddenly and derailed Riku's train of thought. "I'm almost done here."

"Uh, sure."

In all honesty Riku was relieved to be given an opportunity to leave the room, even if the dining room was barely separate from the kitchen.

His dad hadn't been staying home that long, but Riku still habitually grabbed three place settings before reminding himself that Mom wasn't going to join them.

"Finished," Riku said, returning to the kitchen in time to catch the musical chime of the rice cooker.

"Perfect timing! Go put the rice out."

Riku scooped the rice out of the cooker and into a serving bowl and ran it out to the dining room table.

"Here," Riku's dad shoved a tasting spoon in front of Riku's face the moment he returned. "Try some."

"Mm! Good!" Riku said around a mouthful of food.

"Vegetables not too crunchy?"

"Nope, I like them better when they're a little crisp than when they're soggy."

His dad smiled– just a little bit– and nodded approvingly. Then, without dropping a single morsel, transferred the food from pan to serving dish and turned off the stove.

Whenever Riku or Mom (especially Mom) cooked the kitchen was always a mess afterwards! Dad left everything sparkling.

"Here, go put this out," Dad said. He handed Riku the food, then took off his apron and headband- tossing them onto the counter to be dealt with after eating. "I'll join you in a sec."

Riku took the food to the table, then served himself some. He wondered if it would be rude to start eating before his dad sat down.

Luckily he was saved from having to answer himself when his dad plopped himself down in the chair across from him, took a swig of beer from the bottle he'd grabbed from the fridge, and started shoveling food on to his own plate.

For someone who could cook such high-class looking cuisine, his at home table manners we're practically barbaric. Riku wondered if he acted like this when he traveled. Who would let him into their country?!

Uncomfortable quiet filled the room as they ate. In between bites Riku pushed food around his plate with his chopsticks, wondering how he could breach the silence.

"So…what is it?"

Riku jumped at the question.

"Huh!?"

His dad took another swig straight from the bottle, adjusted his glasses, and met Riku's gaze without wavering.

"When you came into the kitchen earlier, you kind of looked like you had something to say to me."

"I, um, yeah…" Shit! Now that his dad had brought it up, there was no way he could back down!

Riku squirmed and fidgeted and hoped his father wouldn't notice.

"It's, um, it's just that…"

Why was this so difficult!? It wasn't like he was making that big a request,_ was he?_

"It'sjustthattommorowisMike'sbirthday!" Riku finally spat out in a single breath.

His dad blinked, trying to process Riku's flurry of words.

"Did… you… want to go get him a gift?" He asked, having finally sorted it out. "I can take you shopping if you'd like. Do you need money?"

"No," Riku answered as he stared down at his plate.

Surely initiating conversation was the worst part, right? It shouldn't be too hard to ask for the rest…

Riku forced himself to make eye contact.

"Mike wanted me to ask you if you'd make him a birthday cake."

"Hmm…" his dad thought for a moment. Then he set his chopsticks down and vanished into the kitchen.

Was that a no?

A _yes?_

Why the _HELL_ was that man so difficult to read?!

How did Mom do it?

Riku heard rummaging in the kitchen and the opening and shutting of several cupboards and drawers and the familiar sound of the refrigerator opening and closing.

"Alright," his dad said as strolled back in the room and took his seat.

"_Alright?_" Riku pressed.

"I'll bake that cake for you," his dad answered. "On a few conditions though…"

"What conditions?" Riku couldn't help but be worried and a little suspicious.

"Yeah, I have to go buy some things for it, so you have to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes while I'm out."

Well, that was fair.

"And?"

"And now _I_ want cake, so I guess I'll have to make an extra one for us… and maybe Shuichi if he hurries his ass home before I eat his share."

Of course. There was a time in Riku's life when he thought birthday cakes came half-eaten. At least he was making his own this time instead of cutting a slice from the birthday boy's.

"Is that all?"

"No, one last thing…"

Riku flinched. What could his dad possibly want from him?

"Make it with me?"

Riku stared at him in disbelief. Maybe Mom was right after all, Dad was sometimes hard to understand, but perhaps he really was trying.

"Sure."

And maybe it wasn't so bad having him home after all.

The End.

* * *

**More A/N:**

I will be adding a short 'epilogue' in a second chapter.

It's super cute, so keep a lookout for that.

Remember, kids: feedback keeps the muse well fed and creating, so please feel free to leave a review.


	2. Epilogue

Riku was nearly done scrubbing the last of the dishes when his phone buzzed in his back pocket.

He dried his hands with a kitchen towel and checked his messages.

Shit!

It was from Dad.

Did he change his mind? Decide it was too big a hassle after all?

Riku's heart and mind raced with possible worst case scenarios as he read the text.

**Dad:** So what kind of cake are we making?

Riku sighed in relief before jolting once more in panic. In all his stress and worry about even asking his dad to bake a cake, he completely forgot to ask Mike what kind!

Hey, what flavor cake did you want? He frantically texted his friend.

He'd barely hit send before his phone buzzed in his hand.

**Mike: **REALLY!? HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT!?

**Riku: **Mike! What kind?

**Mike: **Vanilla!

No! Chocolate!

BOTH!

or maybe something else…

It's so unfair that I only get one birthday!

Wait! Could he make something fancy?

Like REALLY fancy?

Ugh… Why did Riku's best friend have to be such a spoiled American brat? His stomach couldn't handle this level of stress. He was too young to be getting ulcers, dammit! And how did Mike type so fast?

**Riku: **I don't want to ask too much…

**Mike: **Just surprise me!😄🎂🍰 ️ ️ ️😘

Riku grumbled as he text back his dad:

Mike can't make up his mind…

**Dad: 😡**

'I guess I pissed him off,' Riku thought 'So much for finally making strides in talking to each other…'

Dammit! Was he going to have to explain to Mike that he wouldn't be getting any cake after all?

Riku miserably went back to scrubbing dishes and making sure the kitchen was sparkling before his dad came home. He could at least try to alleviate his mood, right?

Surprisingly, when his father did come home with bags laden from the spoils of his shopping trip and a stack of cupcake pans under one arm, he didn't seem to be in a sour mood at all.

"Here," he said, handing off the pans to Riku and unceremoniously plopping the rest of the ingredients and supplies on the counter before rolling up his sleeves, " let's get started."

* * *

Shuichi stumbled into his very quiet home later that night (or rather very early the next morning) and loudly shushed himself for almost waking up his husband and son.

He giggled as he removed his shoes, placing them on the rack next to the door. God, it had been so fun getting out with Hiro!

But he couldn't handle his beer like he used to… (as if he hadn't always been a lightweight)

Shuichi lurched toward the kitchen to get himself a glass of water– maybe if hydrated himself now he wouldn't hate himself quite so much for overdoing it in the morning.

He flicked on the light and immediately winced and shielded his eyes.

When he finally adjusted to the brightness he blinked in disbelief.

Sitting on the counter were several boxes and a plate of the most delicious looking cupcakes he'd ever seen!

And a note.

Shuichi–

Saved a plate for you

leave the boxes alone

They're for Mike

Shuichi smiled at Eiri's adorably sloppy handwriting.

Mmmm… the whole apartment smelled like cake! How did he not notice when he came in?

He peeled back the plastic wrap from the plate and picked one– there were several different kinds, and they all looked so good!– with white cake and pink icing garnished with bits of strawberry Pocky.

Yum! It was amazing! The cake was perfect, and the icing tasted just like strawberry Pocky cream.

Shuichi gobbled the rest of it in a couple bites.

Then he dashed to his and Eiri's bedroom… completely forgetting to re-cover the plate or turn off the lights.

But he made sure that the bedroom door was securely locked behind him.

Shuichi took just a moment to enjoy the view of his husband's gorgeous face in the pale light that filtered in from the window…

And then he pounced on him.

"Huh!? Wha–? Sh... Shuichi?" Eiri mumbled, still half asleep but roused to near coherency.

Before Eiri could speak another word, Shuichi pushed him back into the mattress and gave him a brief but fully passionate kiss.

"Did you make all those cupcakes?" Shuichi asked.

"Yes?" Eiri pushed himself slightly off the bed, propping himself up with his elbows. Something made only slightly difficult by the way Shuichi was straddling him. "Riku asked me to. Mike wanted cake for his birthday."

"Really? Riku asked you to?"

Eiri nodded.

Shuichi was so proud of Riku!

Shuichi was so proud of Eiri!

His son and husband were finally getting along again!

Shuichi tackled Eiri down to the bed in a rib-crushing hug.

"It wasn't too much, was it?" Shuichi asked, still squeezing Eiri tightly.

Eiri gave up on trying to push himself into a semi-seated position, and absentmindedly ran his fingers through Shuichi's hair.

"No…" he answered, "I told Riku I wouldn't mind making them as long as he helped."

Shuichi lifted himself off of Eiri's chest just enough to get a good look at his face.

"You made them together?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Eiri replied.

"That's so sweet!" Shuichi said, once again wrapping his arms around his husband. "I'm so happy you two be are making progress."

Eiri sighed. Overexuberant was an understatement when it came to Shuichi. Especially when he was more than a little tipsy.

"So how was 'boys-night-out?'" Eiri asked, a little embarrassed and ready to change the subject.

" So much fun!" Shuichi answered excitedly. "Guess what!? The karaoke bar had some Bad Luck songs!"

"You sang your own songs?"

"Well, who's gonna sing them better than me?"

"Anyone but me probably."

Shuichi jabbed Eiri in the ribs for that comment and Eiri chuckled despite the pain.

"But you know…" Shuichi whispered breathily as he nuzzled against Eiri's neck. "Coming home and finding out you actually are good father material? I find that irresistibly sexy."

"You're drunk," Eiri accused.

Shuichi sat back up, ran his hands under Eiri's pajama shirt, and stared at him with absolutely obscene bedroom eyes.

"Yeah…" he purred, "but not too drunk."

Luckily Riku was a heavy sleeper.

* * *

The next day before class began, Riku handed Mike his present.

"Here, since you couldn't make up your mind, Dad made you a bunch of different flavors of cake."

"Wow!" Mike's grin lit up his entire face. "These are incredible!"

There were so many different kinds and each one was exquisitely decorated! They easily looked like they came from a super fancy high-end bakery. Mike set the boxes on his desk and began the very difficult process of deciding which one to eat first.

"What kind is this?" He asked, pointing to one of them.

"It's a lemon cake with a raspberry filling," Riku answered.

"They're FILLED!?" Mike exclaimed in amazement.

"Uh, some of them-"

"This one?" Mike interrupted before Riku could explain.

"Red velvet with cream cheese icing."

"This?"

"Chocolate with Bavarian cream and ganache."

"Ooh! How about this one?"

"That's vanilla, Mike."

A million conflicting emotions battled visibly across Mike's face as decided which cupcake to try first. He finally gave up on making up his mind, closed his eyes, and grabbed one at random.

"Mm! If tho nummy! Thangk hyou!" He said around a mouthful of cake.

"You're welcome," Riku said, a small, satisfied smile gracing his lips.

"What's this?" One of their girl classmates asked. School was about to start and the other students were filtering their way in to class.

"Cupcakes!" Mike answered, already selecting a second one after finishing off the first cake in two bites. "It's my birthday!"

"Congrats, happy birthday then," she said.

"Wow, those look incredible!" Another classmate commented.

"So fancy! " Another (and very cute) girl chimed in.

Riku hoped he wasn't blushing.

"Y'all wanna try some?" Mike offered. "There's gotta be like four dozen here. Even I can't eat that many."

"Oh, yay, thanks!"

Everyone rushed over to pick one out and thank Mike and congratulate him on his birthday.

"I hope that includes me?" Ms. Tanaka asked, arriving to find her classroom only mildly unruly.

"Of course, Teach!" Mike answered and Riku smacked him to remind him of his manners. "Oww! I mean, of course, Ms. Tanaka."

Ms. Tanaka smiled gently as she selected one of the desserts.

"Wow, these are exquisite," she said as she made her choice. "Wherever did you get them?"

"Yeah they're amazing," one of the kids chimed in.

"Did you custom order them, or do they always have them?" another asked.

"Oh, Riku's dad made them!" Mike answered cheerfully with stupid honesty.

"What!?"

Riku was suddenly bombarded with questions and compliments.

"No way!"

"That's incredible!"

"Is he like a professional baker, or something?"

And while he was a little embarrassed to be put on the spot, he was also just a little bit proud as well.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks mostly to Sailorspazz for inspiring this. I had planned this just to be a one shot, but she asked what kind of cake they made together and a plot bunny sprang up.

Thanks you all for reading, I love getting feedback, and if you leave a comment, who knows, you just might flush my next plot bunny out of hiding ^_^


End file.
